Camera

Abstract

The improved camera has a film chamber separable and disposable from the exposure chamber of a camera, with a self contained means for processing material for a diffusion transfer-reversal photographic system, with the material comprising a film negative, a glass plate in a mount, a liquid with activating chemicals in either a pod or incorporated in the negative, and a positive emulsion, either coated on the glass or on a film attached to the glass adhesively during processing. When processed, a slide in a mount results in a minute or so. The improved camera, over my U.S. Pat. No. 3,045,572 of July 14, 1962 provides a larger image size within the constraints of proper interoccular spacing and lenses of a normal angle of view. The improved camera provides for a unique system of focusing, which automatically corrects the interoccular spacing of the stereo pairs when the distance is set. Provided is a unique shutter for controlling exposures in a stereoscopic camera. A new method of attaching a camera magnetically to a tripod is provided. The use of two separated buttons to prevent accidental exposures without a lock is provided. Improvements are made in a viewfinder, to give a more clearly defined, illuminated frame, which also gives exposure information, and parallex correction is coupled to the focus system, in a new way.

I claim: 
     
       1. A camera comprising a first chamber and a second chamber with means to attach and detach said first chamber and said second chamber from each other, with said first chamber comprising means to make a photographic exposure on sensitized film, and said second chamber containing a film sensitized to produce a negative in a diffusion-transfer-reversal photographic process and containing a slide mount with a transparent base therein, with a positive image receiving surface for said diffusion-transfer-reversal process, which can be adhered to said transparent base, and with a means to spread under pressure the requisite liquid chemicals for said diffusion-transfer-reversal process, a means to transport said film sensitized to produce a negative image into said first chamber, a means to withdraw said film back into said second chamber, a means to withdraw from said second chamber said film sensitized to produce a negative image together with said slide mount and said positive image receiving surface, and with a means to apply pressure by said withdrawal to spread said requisite liquid chamicals between said film sensitized to produce a negative image and said positive receiving image on said transparent base and said slide mount, thus effecting completion within a requisite time period of said diffusion-transfer-reversal process. 
     
     
       2. In a camera for impressing stereoscopic pairs of photographic images upon a member having a rearwardly directed plane surface to hold a sensitized film, the combination with a chamber within which said surface is disposed, of separate spaced optical systems for receiving light from in front of said camera at opposite sides of said surface and directing the received light inwardly thence forwardly against said surface, each of said systems comprising a plurality of mirrors, and lenses behind said sensitized surface and disposed between mirrors on axes generally parallel to said surface and each comprising means for focusing upon said surface the light directed from one mirror to another in the respective systems, wherin the improvement comprises said means of focusing with tubular mounts for each of the two lenses, each of the two said tubular mounts having male screw threads parallel to the axis of each lens, with the screw thread for one lens left-handed and for the other right-handed, said screw threads mating with female screw threads contained in members laterally positioned to the axes of said lenses, and attached to said chamber, with means to connect the two lens mounts to rotate in unison, which brings the lenses equidistant from said surface, said distance determined by the amount of rotation of said lens mounts and the lead of said screw threads. 
     
     
       3. In the camera of claim 2, said female screw threads contained in members laterally positioned to the axis of said lenses, and attached to said chamber and with a geared shaft connecting said female threaded members, and rotating in bearings in said members, said geared shaft mating with gears attached to or part of the circumference of said lens mount and a means of rotating said geared shaft to set the focus distance of said two lenses according to a distance scale. 
     
     
       4. In the camera of claim 3, a gear train mated to said geared shaft, with the last gear in said train attached to a knob, on which is a calibrated distance scale, in which one or less revolutions of said knob rotates, by the gears in said train, the tubular lens mounts for the amount necessary for the focus range desired in said camera. 
     
     
       5. In the camera of claim 3, a viewfinder with a front lens with a semi-reflective rear coating which reflects back to an observer's eye to the rear of said viewfinder the image of a reflective frame in the rear of said viewfinder, said frame being operatively connected to a screw threaded member which mates with a screw thread of said viewfinder end of the geared shaft, said frame moving along the axis of said geared shaft, with the lead of said screw threads chosen to give an approximate parallax correction as said frame moves axially to and with the rotation of said geared shaft. 
     
     
       6. In the camera of claim 2, the optical elements of each lens offset from the axis of said tubular lens mounts to move laterally, on rotation, in unison, said optical elements moving laterally the distance necessary to substantially correct the image spacing between stereoscopic pairs according to the focus distance range desired in said camera, with the amount of eccentricity and the amount of rotation determined by the lateral movement required, and the lead of said screw threads for said focus distance range is then determined by the aforesaid amount of rotation. 
     
     
       7. In the camera of claim 2, wherein the improvement comprises limiting the distance between the outer light paths equal to the approximate average interoccular distance of human eyesight, then reflected laterally by mirrors toward each other and thence through lenses focusing with a normal angle of view, passing the received light inwardly and thence it is directed forwardly by reflection of other mirrors to said sensitized surface, with the width of said surface, and the angle of view of said lenses to give maximum width images within the constraints of the light paths thus formed. 
     
     
       8. In the camera of claim 7, the forward edges of said mirrors limited to the light paths of the images, with the distance between said forward edges of said sensitized surface plus its backing, formed to frame said light paths to the plane of said backing, giving said camera a flat profile except for said light path openings. 
     
     
       9. In the camera of claim 2, means for controlling the movement of light to said surface for limiting exposure, wherein the improvement comprises two opaque shields in front of or behind a lens for each shield, said shields attached to a connecting member pivoting centrally between said shields and located in a bearing in a cross member traverse to the axis of said lenses with at least one magnet held to said cross member and proximate to a coil of non-ferrous electrically conducting material wound transversely to and on said connecting member, with all elements except said shields clear of said light paths of said camera, with means of passing an electrical current through said coil, causing said connecting member to rotate by electro-magnetism until said shields are clear of said light paths, and means to reverse the polarity of said electrical current at a timed interval, causing said shields to reverse direction and again block out light from said light paths, terminating a photographic exposure. 
     
     
       10. In the camera of claim 2, wherein the improvement comprises means for controlling the movement of light to said surface for limiting exposure, said means comprising two opaque shields in front of or behind a lens for each shield, with said shields attached to a connecting member, and a second set of shields, with a connecting member, nested inside the first set, with each set free to rotate independently of the other, with both of said connecting members pivoting centrally between said shields with said pivots located in a bearing in a cross member traverse to the axis of said lenses with at least one magnet held to said cross member and proximate to a coil of non-ferrous electrically conducting material wound transversely to and on each of said connecting members with all the elements, except one set of shields on one connecting member, clear of said light paths of said camera, with means of passing an electrical current through the coil of said connecting member whose shields cover said light paths, causing said connecting member to rotate until its said shields are clear of said light paths, with means to discontinue said electrical current when said light paths are thus cleared, and means at a timed interval to pass an electrical current through the coil of the second said connecting member, causing it to rotate and its shields to block said light paths thus terminating an exposure according to said timed interval, and a means to reverse the polarity of said electrical current at the end of each exposure sequence. 
     
     
       11. In the camera of claim 9 or 10 a connecting member or members which rotate on a pivot in a field between a stationary permanent magnet and an electrically magnetized coil in said member, a means of holding said connecting member in place against said permanent magnet at the end of rotation and when electrical current to said coil is discontinued, in which a bit of ferric material attached to and a part of said connecting member, holds said connecting member in place by magnetic attraction, with said ferric bit large enough to hold said connecting member in place, and small enough for an electrically energized coil to overcome the magnetic attraction of said ferric bit. 
     
     
       12. In the camera of claim 2, a flat surface on the bottom made of ferric material which will hold said coamera by magnetic attraction to a magnet attached to or part of a camera support. 
     
     
       13. In a camera, two normally open electrical switches accessible to the outside of said camera in which pressure on either of said switches closes the electrical connection of that switch and release of said pressure opens the electrical connection, and the closing of either of said switches activates any desired electrical functions excluding a shutter or shutters, and where with the one switch held closed, the closing of the second switch activates said shutter or shutters to effect a photographic exposure. 
     
     
       14. A camera incorporating a viewfinder with a front lens with a semi-reflecting coating on one surface of said front lens which reflects back to an observer's eye behind said viewfinder the image of a spirit level, with said spirit level illuminated by an electrically powered light source or sources. 
     
     
       15. A camera incorporating a viewfinder with a front lens which has a semi-reflective coating on a surface of said front lens which reflects back to an observer's eye behind said viewfinder the image of a frame in the rear of said viewfinder illuminated by either or both of at least two light sources of contrasting colors powered by electricity in which said light sources are selectively activated by sensors so that each color indicates a different level of illumination available to make a photographic exposure. 
     
     
       16. In the camera of claim 15, in which said view finder frame is depressed in a transparent plate with the outline of said depressed frame illuminated through the edges of said transparent plate by at least one electrically powered light source.